What Lives in Dreams
by KatyaX
Summary: Buffy's always had to unravel her dreams, but these are more confusing than ever. Set a few months after the collapse of the Sunnydale Hell Mouth, Buffy must figure out how and why Spike appears to her every time she falls asleep.
1. Chapter 1

This takes place right after the Sunnydale Hell Mouth collapsed and the Scoobies and Slayers made it out of California to a Cleaveland suburb. They're holed up in a skeezy Motel 6 out in an industrial area where Buffy and Faith are trying to keep everyone in shape, and Willow is tracking down new Slayers in the area.

..

..

..

Buffy lay on the rough pillow case, her eyes fixed on the red LED of the clock next to her. 3:37. Now 3:38. She shifted her head on the pillow to accommodate her injuries from earlier in the day. She resisted sleep, though her eyes were heavy. It had been four days. Certainly not the longest she'd gone without sleep, but she could not remember being so weary.

Her Slayer strength was running out, and no amount of espressos or diet Cokes were going to protect her from sleep's embrace. Any moment now, she would blink no longer and pass from this world into her subconscious where her dreams would take her over.

She knew resisting was useless. Even if she stayed awake another day, she would have to sleep sometime. And the longer she went without, the longer she would need to sleep later. There was no solution that she could discern, no explanation she could fathom, that would explain even a pittance of what was happening to her.

3:40.

She was supposed to meet with Giles at eight. Buffy debated getting up and taking a run through the nearest park, but she wasn't sure if it was a good idea to take her already fatigued and slightly insane self out into a Hell Mouth town alone. Regardless of being a Slayer, half the battle was knowing when to fight, and she was in no shape to fight right now.

And she would never be in shape to fight anything ever again if she didn't get some sleep.

3:42.

Buffy rolled over and took a deep breath. The orange light of the street lamps in the parking lot glowed from behind the curtains. She was very alone. Next door, Willow and Kennedy slept. And on the other side of her, Xander and Andrew had finished their ridiculously extensive debate of Star Trek captains and were now silent. Along the way five other rooms, all with four girls each, slept soundly as well. Giles had probably crashed out around ten, not long after he'd returned with several of the girls from the twenty-four hour gym a few blocks down. Maybe Faith was still up, smoking and watching God knew what on TV.

3:46.

The only person she'd even consider discussing any of it with was not exactly available. Dawn had taken to avoiding her of late and was sleeping over two doors down with Shannon and some others. It wasn't really Dawn's fault. Buffy knew she'd been unbearable in private company, and noticeably distracted during trainings and planning sessions. It was only because Faith had noticed her behavior that she had made efforts to pick up Buffy's slack. It had not come without confrontation, though. Faith hadn't so much threatened to tell everyone that something was definitely up with Buffy, but she promised. Which, considering Faith, was a much more frightening prospect. But though the delivery had been fiery, Buffy knew Faith only had her best interest at hand.

3:47.

Buffy threw back the blankets and turned on the light. He robe was still laying at the foot of her bed, so she grabbed it and shrugged it on. She took her key card from the nightstand, tucked it in her pocket, then wiggled into a pair of Dawn's shoes.

Several doors down at the end of their block of rooms was Faith's door. The light was definitely still on and Buffy could hear the television. Faith laughed at something, a high, clear, ironic laugh, and canned laughter followed. Buffy raised her hand to knock but hesitated. Turning to Faith for advice had never been an option before. Buffy had naturally distanced herself from a girl so very different from her own self. Since she'd met her, Buffy had tried to understand Faith. But Faith had disappointed her at every turn with her aggression, her anger, her cold-blooded murdering of local government officials. Mostly it was the constant psychosis that put Buffy off.

Buffy lowered her hand and shoved her fists back into her pockets and stared at the ground. What was she even thinking coming to Faith?

The TV turned off suddenly and the door clicked unlocked and flew open. "You gonna knock, er stand out here in your skivvies til sun up?" Faith smirked, standing back to let Buffy enter.


	2. Chapter 2

Faith's room was decidedly more lived in than Buffy's. What little clothes Faith had were strewn around the room on chair backs and the floor, and there were take out containers and empty beer cans piled on the small table near the window. There seemed to be cigarette ash on everything, and it smelled like a bar.

"Don't bother to take off your shoes," Faith replied in response to Buffy's eyeballing of her room. Faith closed and locked the door again and turned on the AC unit to try and make the air a bit more breathable for the non-smoking Buffy. "You get all dressed up for me?"

Buffy looked down at her robe, a thrift store purchase she'd gotten for three dollars. All of her clothing was from such places. The shirt she'd worn the day of their final battle in Sunnydale had a hole in it, and blood stains from the hole that she had had in herself. Once she'd been treated at the hospital, a nurse had been nice enough to give her a set of scrubs to wear until she could get home. She didn't have the heart to tell the woman her home had disintegrated hours ago. If it had just been her, she would have soldiered on, but most of the girls had suffered injuries that had ruined their clothes as well. And as none of them had had the foresight, or at least the optimism, to pack anything, Buffy made the executive decision to scavenge for clothes at the nearest Goodwill drop off station in a grocery store parking lot. Vi had questioned the moral ambiguity of the situation, but Buffy assured her that saving the world made up for eleven dollars worth of stolen donated clothes.

But now, looking at Faith, she felt like she was wearing rags. Faith looked like she'd stepped out of a photo shoot, minus the brand names. Her makeup was done, but a little smudgy around the lips. "It's four in the morning," Buffy said. "Why do you look all put togethery?"

"Oh, yeah, this," Faith shrugged, motioning to her clothes. "I had a date."

"Oh? Oh!" Buffy said again. "How IS Robin?"

"He's good. A lot better now," Faith added as she flopped back on her bed.

Buffy nodded and pulled out the chair next to the table, but Faith's muddy boots were already resting there.

"Hey, don't be shy." Faith patted the bed next to her.

Buffy smiled weakly and sat on the foot of the bed, but found she didn't have words.

"You look like shit, B."

"Hey! I DID train with the girls for six hours today?"

"Yeah, and took a foot in the face. I meant, you haven't been sleeping."

"How did you know?"

Faith snorted. "It's four a.m. You're awake," she said simply.

"Oh. Okay, yeah. That's true. That's... Actually why I'm here."

"Wait, wait. If this is gonna get all deep and shit, you wanna drink? Cuz it looks like it's been a long night for both of us." When Buffy hesitated, Faith blew off the idea with a wave of her left hand as she reached for a bottle with the other. "Never mind, I forgot you're a teetotaler."

"No. No, I'll take a drink. Not a very big one," she added hastily.

"Wow, check out Buffy the party girl!" Faith said with some awe.

"I-I don't feel much like partying lately."

"Yeah... I could tell." She poured two inches of amber liquid into one of the plastic cups the cleaning lady kept replacing on her bathroom sink. This she handed to Buffy who looked put off but accepted it nonetheless. "You been a mess since we left Sunny D. Which, I guess, makes sense. I dunno, I haven't collapsed a Hell Mouth before." She poured herself a full cup of Scotch and thunked the bottle back on the night stand.

"Me neither," Buffy agreed. She took a small sip of her drink and made a face.

"Kinda strong," Faith admitted. "You want a mixer?"

"No, it's not that. It's just... I got drunk off this stuff with Spike once. After I came back from the dead. I was really depressed. I was broke, I sucked at school. I'd gotten ripped out of Heaven and thrown up in Sunnydale," she shrugged. "And we - Okay, I - got drunk with him, and cried about how pathetic my life was."

Faith let out a low whistle. "Well, death and resurrection change a girl," she mused. "I was only in a coma, and I did some ka-raaay-zy stuff when I woke up."

"Yeah, I know. I heard." Buffy took another sip.

"Oh."

"But I heard some other good stuff too, so." She shrugged. "You know. I guess things even out. On a long enough time line."

"So what are you doing here?" Faith said suddenly. "You didn't just come for the booze, I know that. Plus we're s'posed to be up in like, four hours t'meet with the G-man. Something's buggin'."

"Yeah. When you... Hit me last week?"

"How could I forget?" Faith laughed. "Nearly broke my damn hand."

"Yeah, but it's WHY you hit me."

"Oh, man, are we gonna fight? Because I'm not drunk enough, and you - "

"No, I wanted to thank you," she interrupted. "I mean, I don't know if that's the right way to say it, but... Thank you for covering for me. And for snapping me back into reality. I realize I've been kind of a jerk, and a wreck, this last month."

"Well, you're not winning the Miss Congeniality award from any of the other Scoobs, but you're still all right in my book. You know, so long's I get a few nights off, I suppose I can pick up your slack for a few weeks." She grinned and took a long drink.

Buffy looked down into her cup and shook her head. "You shouldn't have to. We should be working together. You shouldn't have to cover for me, just because I can't deal with... Things."

Faith studied her for a minute and then nodded towards her. "What things?"

"Huh?"

"You paused a good while before you said 'things.' So I figured that must mean somethin'."

Buffy raised her eyebrows. "You know, for as nuts as you are, you're pretty good at picking up things like that."

"Well, with you, it's different. I was in your SKIN remember? I know you. Maybe not the same way as some of your friends, but better than I bet you expect."

"That's kinda why I came by."

It was Faith's turn to look surprised and she sat up with great interest. "Well, don't leave me hangin', B! What's the haps?"

"Just, all the stuff that's been bothering me, you know? I thought since you're the only one who even noticed I'm kinda screwed up, maybe you could... Help me figure some stuff out?"

Faith paused for a moment and took a drink, her face sobered with suspicion. "So, what? Willow and Xander an' everybody just fall off the face of the earth in the last couple'a hours?"

Buffy looked at her, somewhat cross. "No, not at all. Faith, I came to you because..." She shook her head and stood. "I'm sorry, this was a mistake. Thanks for the drink," she added, placing it on the table as she made for the door.

"Hey, hey! Wait a sec, jeeeez. Sit your ass down," she ordered. "I'm just trynna get a bead on you. Sit," she commanded again, pointing to the bed. She pulled her own feet up to give Buffy more room. Though she hesitated, Buffy turned back to the bed and took a deep breath. She picked up her drink again and sat down.

"What's going on with you? I know this ain't cuz you lost all your stuff when the town turned to rubble."

"No... It's not. It should be. But it's not. I should be upset about other things. And maybe I am, sometimes. But that's just memories." She took another small drink and shuddered. "I haven't been sleeping. I've been dreaming."

"We all dream," Faith replied. "Some of us about more interesting things than others."

"Well, my dreams have been... a different kind of interesting."

"Nightmares?" Faith guessed. "Prophecies?

"Not exactly."

"Vivid dreams?" she asked suggestively.

"Yes. And no," Buffy smiled. "Yes to the vivid, no the the, well, other part you're thinking of." Buffy took a longer drink to steady herself, then pulled her legs up to turn to Faith. "My dreams have been about Spike."

Faith was silent but the a-ha look she had on her face showed complete comprehension.

"It's not like normal dreams. Where you're flying or whatever. It's like I'm reliving my day, only with a Spike version. Everything I did that day, only as if Spike was there."

Faith belted down the last of her drink and reached for the bottle again. "That sucks!"

"Faith Lehane, Queen of the Understatement."

"Naw, man, I mean having to relive each day! In Ohio! In this motel! Damn, I think one go around is hell." She leaned over to refill Buffy's cup and made sure to add another inch to it.

Faith's take on her predicament strangely made Buffy smile. "Trust me, if I had a choice, I wouldn't be reliving THESE days over again. One day I found a pair of Jimmy Choo's in my size on clearance. Why can't I relive THAT day?"

"Probably means SOMEthing," Faith reasoned. "When did all this start?"

"Literally as we drove away from the wreckage. I dozed off with my face mooshed against the window. And I dreamed that Spike escaped with us. That's the short version."

"Wait, you been dreamin' about Spike since THEN?"

"Every night. Well," she corrected herself, "every time I fall asleep. Doesn't matter when. Doesn't matter for how long. I sometimes dream about other stuff, but Spike always shows up, and whatever I did that day, parts of it, I replay again, with Spike there."

"Daaamn..." Faith said as she tucked her legs under her and sat up. She and Buffy were facing each other now, knees to knees, both contemplating their drinks. "So, like, what happens? In these Spike versions? I mean, is it totally the same as what you did earlier that day and Spike's just hanging out in the background?"

"No, it's like a whole new version. It's mostly the same, but it changes because he's there. Things he says and does, they affect what's going on. Oh! I didn't tell you the weird part."

"There's a weird part? To the dreams you have every time you go to sleep where you relive each day with your undead dead boyfriend? Get out!"

Buffy rolled her eyes. "No, like a really weird part. I can talk in my dreams- To other people. But I can't talk to him. Not directly. He'll respond to things I say to others sometimes, sarcastic things, supportive things, all kinds of stuff. But I can't just turn to him and talk. Because every time I do, he disappears. And I wake up. Like if I was dreaming right now, and we were sitting here talking? He could come to the door, and you could let him in, and I could sit and watch him and listen to you two talk, and talk to you... But the moment I speak to him... He's there one moment, gone the next. And I usually wake up right after."

"Jeez, B. I don't know what t'tell you. I mean, damn, that is weird. I seen a lot of bizarre shit in my day, and you too. But why aren't you asking the guy old enough to have been at the birth of weird? G-man's probably got more insight on freaky dreams an' stuff. An' I bet witchy Willow knows more about curse dreams- or at least psychology- than I do?"

"I don't know why I haven't talked to them yet. I guess... I'm just worried."

Faith nodded. "Ah. Yeah. Afraid of another coup, huh?"

"Something like that."

"You think they're gonna demote you again just cuz you got some weird dreams floatin' around in there?"

Buffy shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not. But I'm not gonna risk it."

"So you come t'me, the girl who threatened to tell on you if you didn't get your act t'gether?"

"You're different," Buffy said matter-of-factly. "You kinda get me in ways they don't. You see stuff differently."

"Well, that is true. You know something? I can think of worse things t'dream about," Faith mused, putting her hands behind her head and stretching out again. "If there was anyone in my past worth remembering, I think I could stand it. You know, I think you're lookin' at this whole thing wrong. You're not lookin' at the bright side!"

"What? These dreams are tormenting me, making me feel alone and kinda guilty. Also extremely confused, irritable, and distracted. What could the bright side possibly be?"

"You get t'see the guy you love everyday. And you don't have t'worry about his bull. He's not gonna hurt you, or cheat on you. He's THERE whenever you want him, and it's when YOU want him around. So long as you take a nap, he won't forget your birthday," she laughed. "And from the sound of it, conversation doesn't seem to have t'be the order of the day."

Buffy smiled slowly as Faith's implication dawned on her. "I never looked at it that way before. I've been so worried that I was going crazy."

"Hey, maybe you are. But there's no reason t'get down on yourself about it. I mean, I was crazy for awhile and... Don't listen to me," she added with a backtracking smile.

"What if I am going crazy? Maybe I spent too much time inside the Hell Mouth?"

"Maybe watching Spike die scrambled your brain."

At first Buffy looked offended, but her face softened. "You know, once I translated Faith-speak into normal people speak? That kinda made sense."

"You can't tell me you didn't think about it like that before, right? That going through a horrible trauma like that just MIGHT mess you up in there?"

Buffy thought back years and years and realized that no big showdown had been without its side effects. Her battle with the master had turned her into an aggro bitch- and kind of a slut if she remembered right. Killing Angel had been no better, and she'd completely given up all her responsibilities, even her whole identity, for three months. Things hadn't been too bad after they had defeated the Mayor, but then again, the hardest part of that year hadn't been the twenty foot tall worm beast, but having to fight against Faith. That hadn't left her without scars. Things had gone to hell with Riley after her fight against Walsh and Adam, and there was no describing what happened after her showdown with Glory. Things had started to turn around for the better after Willow had been subdued, but everything had been turned upside down again once the First had made itself known. It only made sense to her that blowing up the town and watching someone she dearly loved explode into pure energy had started to take its toll.

"Man," she groaned. "This sucks. First it's all messing up my groove, you know? Then it's like, hey, get to see the guy I l- love... And then we're back to me being crazy again."

"Naw, B, it's not crazy t'feel bad! T'miss him. It's normal. Maybe not the HOW," she admitted. "but the WHY."

"Faith. What if it gets worse? What if they don't stop? What if I lose my damn mind?"

Faith took a good swig of her drink and thought about it. She reached over for her cigarettes. "You mind?" Buffy shook her head and Faith flicked open her lighter.

The metal clink the top made, the sparkle of butane igniting like little fireworks, the acrid horrible scent of cigarette smoke as Faith exhales, filled Buffy with pangs of longing for the familiarity of Spike's less desirable habits.

"I think, Buff, that you should take a few days. And like, really sleep. Cuz you're the one drivin' yourself nuts. You know? I think you should sleep, and take a hot shower, and then sleep some more. And when you wake up again, you get some strength back? I think you should tell Wil. Then maybe Giles an' Xander. Cuz, uh... I think the reason it's buggin' you so much is, it's making you feel mighty alone. And I notice that's not something you like. It's something you DO, cuz of the job an' all. But you got all these friends. You're used to hashing things out with 'em. I think the problem ain't the dreams, but you."

She and Buffy looked at one another for a long moment. There was no malice or accusation in Faith's voice. The usual antagonistic air she so often exuded around Buffy wasn't there just then. "I guess that's a better answer than anything I've come up with so far," she said. "Spike's dead. In the end, it's just me." Faith watched Buffy down the remainder of her drink and, not one to be upstaged, followed suit. "Blech! This still tastes as awful as I remember."

"It ain't just you, B. You got me," she said simply. "This might be fun, you know? Figuring out what's goin' on in that squishy brain of yours." Faith glanced at the clock and back to Buffy. "C'mon. We got three and a half hours before we gotta be anywhere. Let's finish the bottle, then we can start on that one," she said brightly, nodding over to another bottle on the dresser.

"Oh, no, no, Faith, I'm a light weight," she insisted. "I can't drink anymore. I'm already getting buzzed. And I don't want to have that conversation where Giles asks me if I've been drinking. Once was enough."

"Well, you gonna go t'bed then? 'Er you trynna immerse yourself in therapy?" She grinned wide and winked.

Buffy looked away shyly. "I don't know. You gave me a lot to think about. I know I'm exhausted, though. And, uh, that scotch didn't really do a lot to wake me up."

"All right," Faith shrugged, somewhat disappointed. "Your deal." She leaned back against the headboard. "You know where t'find me if you can't sleep. Otherwise, guess I'll see you at Giles', eight sharp, give or take a hangover."

Buffy stood and re-tightened her robe. "Yeah. Eight. You, uh... Can you... Make sure I'm up? Please?" she added, a bit embarrassed.

"Yeeeaah, I get yer back, B," Faith said as she waved her out of the room. "Get outta here, go follow yer destiny, or whatever the hell your dreams are about."

Buffy left the room and pulled the door behind her until it clunked shut. A fine mist had filled the parking lot and the orange glow of the street lamps became fuzzy at the edges. It was still summer, but they were so close to Lake Erie that even in June the nights and early mornings were chilly.

Back in her own room, Buffy turned out the light and wiggled back under the covers.

4:32.

She smelled like cigarettes and her throat hurt from the scotch and smoke. But since Faith's insights, Buffy felt a strange comfort come over her. It wasn't peaceful, and it wasn't perfect, but it was a calmness she didn't expect to feel while the dreams still persisted.

As she closed her eyes, she willed herself to be strong. Faith was right, after all. Was it really such a curse to see someone she cared for and missed every time she fell asleep? 


	3. Chapter 3

Buffy turned on the cold water and reached for a towel. Her face didn't show it, but her jaw was bruised and sore. The girls were getting stronger and stronger, and if she wasn't careful, she was going to break something during training. She'd gotten distracted for just a second, and Rona's well-placed kick had rattled her brain to the point of nausea.

She dumped ice from the bucket into the sink and pulled the stopper up. She soaked the hand towel in the icy water, wrung it out, and pressed it to her jaw. Dawn appeared in the mirror and waited for Buffy to look up.

"I'm going to Shannon and Dominique's. Okay?" Dawn asked impatiently.

Buffy nodded her consent and said "Mmhmm" as her jaw was too sore to add more.

There was a knock on the door and Buffy heard Dawn check to see who it was, then heard the door open. "Your sister here?" she heard Spike ask.

"Yeah, in the bathroom."

"An' where're you goin'?"

"Shannon's room. I'm sleeping over."

"Oh? An' what's wrong with your own room?"

"What're you getting all questiony for? I have friends. Or I used to. So now I'm making new ones."

"You sure you're not in there eatin' cookie dough an' conjurin' up the spirit of Brad Pitt?"

"Gross. Who eats cookie dough anymore?" Buffy heard Dawn leave and Spike appeared in the doorway.

"Brought you an ice pack." Buffy smiled at him but winced, and he laughed at her. She reached out to take it, but Spike stepped up to her and placed it gently on her face where it was still red from Rona's boot. "Personally, I don't believe what the lot of 'em are sayin'. You haven't lost your edge at all, even if a sixteen year old took you out in a basic training session."

Buffy wanted so badly to banter back with him, but she knew the consequences. She pointed instead to her jaw and took the ice pack from Spike's hand. He followed her back into the bedroom and they sat down on the bed together.

"I talked to Xander, and he said there's tracks out by the docks. Looks like somethin' came out of the water all the while burning and melting foot prints cross the sand, wood, concrete, asphalt. And get this- They just disappear! Disappear into nothing. They stop, dead. And there's no sign of where this thing went, no witnesses."

Buffy listened intently but did not speak. She had already heard this information before, from Xander himself. Xander, who had double-checked Dawn's plans, and Xander who had brought her an ice pack. So she watched Spike instead. She'd decided to stop worrying, like Faith told her to, and just enjoy the moment. She saw him so differently now, even in a dream, than she did not so long ago. He looked different with a soul. She'd never realized it while they were together in real life. But he was THERE, more present than he'd ever been. Perhaps...

"So, I'm thinkin' tomorrow morning, when we're all havin' the big meet, we look up Beasts of Halgaroth. They live underwater. I'm not a hundred percent sure on the invisible part, but the fiery toe thing? That's a bull's eye."

Buffy's eyebrows knit and she realized that Xander had never told her this.

"Anyway," he continued, looking away from her in a moment of awkwardness, "I just wanted to check on you. I'll see you in the morning." He touched her hand and stood. "Sleep well," he said. With that he left the room, and Buffy lay back on the bed, her jaw still throbbing. There was a knock on the door and she wondered what Spike had forgotten.


	4. Chapter 4

Buffy sat up, and it was morning. The knocking persisted. Buffy shook off the lingering bits of the dream and scrambled out of bed to answer the door.

"B!" Faith said, looking bright and wide awake. "So? What happened? C'mon, you got twenty minutes before we gonna be down there." She nodded down the balcony to Giles' room. "Lemme in so you can tell me the what what while you get dressed."

Buffy stumbled back from the door and Faith came in. She pushed a Styrofoam cup of coffee Buffy had not noticed before towards her. She recognized it as the standard complementary six ouncer they had in the lobby for guests. She took it gratefully and shut the door. "Thanks. I'm still kinda reeling from the alcohol."

Faith flopped down on the rumpled bed and watched Buffy come back to life. "Yeah? Did it help with the dreams? Or did it make it worse?" she wondered.

"I- I don't that made much difference. But I don't think it made it worse. Considering."

"Sooo?" she prodded. "Was it a good one? Did he come in, all bare-chested, sweep you off your feet and thrown you down on the bed? Or the floor?" she added suggestively.

Buffy shook her head as she headed for the bathroom. "Not hardly. He brought me an ice pack."

Faith looked off into space, somewhat disappointed. "Oh. Well, I guess that was... Thoughtful."

From the bathroom, Buffy answered. "Yeah. Thoughtful. Just like Xander was when he did the same thing earlier last night. Only difference was, instead of me and Xander talking about how we don't know what that thing that left those footprints was, Spike actually suggested something to me." Faith heard the shower turn on. "He said something about a Beast of Halgaroth. Sound familiar?"

"Nope! But I bet it will to someone. Hey, can I smoke in here?"

"NO!"

"I'll be outside then!" Faith called back. "And hurry up! I'm not coverin' for yer ass again!"

Buffy, clean and more optimistic than the night before, sat on Giles' bed next to Faith. Faith was chewing on the filter of her cigarette while they waited. "Giles. You've looked at your watch or the umpteenth time. Can I just go GET Xander?"

"Xander knows the rules," Giles replied simply as he peeked out the curtains.

Buffy rolled her eyes at Faith who shrugged. Willow, who had been fairly quiet all morning due to sleepiness, yawned loudly and rested her head on her hand. "Is there still coffee? I know I got dressed and walked down here, but I'm pretty sure I'm actually still asleep."

"There's more in the carafe," Giles said absently. He was still looking out the window. Willow went to the sink outside the bathroom door and poured herself a mug of lukewarm coffee.

"You're not really going to hold Xander to that stupid agreement, are you?" Buffy groaned.

Giles waved her off. "It wasn't MY idea."

Buffy turned to Faith. "It was a good dream, too," she told her nonchalantly. "Of course the knocking woke me up. I could SO still be asleep right now."

"Yeah," agreed Faith. "Who KNOWS what would have happened next?"

Willow looked at them as she sat back down with her coffee. "What are you guys talking about?"

Before Buffy could reply, a tired voice came from behind them. "Whatever you're talking about, can you keep it down? I'm still trying to catch that last Z." Robin, who had arrived first of all of them, was curled up on his side behind where Faith and Buffy were sitting.

The girls said nothing more, and Giles looked at his watch again. When he looked up he excitedly opened the door and pointed to Xander. "You! You are FIFTEEN minutes late, so I win, and you lose horribly!" he said with great relish.

Xander looked taken aback and put up his hands. "Oh my GOOD GOD, Giles! A little decaf maybe?" Xander and Andrew came in and took seats at the table where several books were piled. "Look, it wasn't my fault. Andrew is SO to blame! I demand a recount."

"It wasn't my fault!" Andrew whined. "It's very important that I moisturize and apply my eczema cream to the affected area -"

"Oh, STOP! Pretty please?" begged Xander.

"I don't care if your room was transported into a hell dimension; you lost, fair and square. You're in charge of B Squad for a WEEK," Giles gloated. "Which means I'll have time for my quadriceps to grow back," he added quietly. "Right! On with the meeting." Robin sat up lazily and rubbed his eyes as the girls moved over to make room for him. Willow downed the last of her coffee and ran her hands through her hair. Pulling a book out from the stack, Giles cleared his throat. "Right. Has anyone had any theories on our mystery demon?" he asked as he flipped through the pages.

Before Buffy could tell them what she'd seen in her dream, minus the dream part, there was a knock on the door. Giles leaned over to see who it was and then, pleasantly surprised, opened it to find Dawn. "Good morning, Dawn."

"Hey, I'm sorry I'm late. Caridad is a total shower hog."

"Oh, that's quite all right," Giles said, letting her in.

"Wait a sec," Xander protested. "She gets here later than I did, and the shower excuse works for her?"

"We're GIRLS," Dawn said, explaining everything, taking a seat on the floor in front of Buffy and Faith's feet. "And I wasn't stupid enough to bet taking over B Squad for a week."

"Uh. Good morning?" Buffy said down at Dawn.

"'Morning," she mumbled.

"Uh, again, any theories?" Willow raised her hand eagerly. "Ah, yes, the earnest looking sleepy red-head in the front row."

"I was thinking, there's the legend of Spring-Heeled Jack- Who's purported to actually be Satan himself- and he was known for leaving footprints melted into the snow around houses all over England, even up through Scotland. In one case, the tracks just disappeared in the middle of this field in Devon."

"Oh! That sounds promising," Giles replied.

"And he's been spotted in America, in Houston, as early as 1953. But I guess if you're Satan, time and space probably don't matter too much."

"Not to rain on your parade, Will, but why would Satan himself be walking out of Lake Erie at eight o'clock at night?" Xander asked.

She shrugged. "Whaddaya want from me? I'm sleepy."

Buffy raised her hand. "Ooh! Pick me," she whispered.

"Yes, the punctual and enthusiastic girl in the middle," Giles pointed.

"Gosh, you ARE in a good mood when you win a bet," she said. "Anyway, what do you know about Beasts of Halgaroth?"

Most everyone else in the room frowned as they tried to place the name. But Giles' face showed great interest. "Oh! Beasts of Halgaroth! Why didn't I think of that?" he mused.

"What the heck is a Beast of Halgaroth?" Dawn asked.

"Please tell me its hands don't melt whatever they touch as well?" Robin wondered aloud.

Giles picked up a different book and started flipping through it rapidly, muttering "Halgaroth, Halgaroth..." as he did so. "Oh! Here it is! Well... That explains the lake."

"What explains the lake?" Willow asked.

Giles turned the book so everyone could see. "Well, rather, the lake explain the gills. Should have been more clear."

"A water-dwelling fire demon?" Willow said, confused.

Giles shrugged. "Well, it's not so much a water-dwelling fire demon as it is a fire-dwelling water demon."

"With the who know?" Faith asked.

"According to this, it, uh, lives in the magma deep beneath lake beds, oceans, mostly around fault lines, but not exclusively."

"It lives IN the magma?" Andrew repeated, a touch of worry in his voice.

Robin snorted derisively. "Yeah, I bet our cross bows and battle axes will go up real good against something that LIVES in MAGMA."

"Maybe he's like the Human Torch," Andrew said.

"Golden Age Human Torch," Xander corrected.

"Seriously?" said Buffy.

"Moving on," continued Giles as he pushed his glasses up his nose. "It lives under watery areas because water is the source of its powers. Beasts of Halgaroth absorb the water through physical or mystical means, use it to cool their bodies, and gain nutrients."

"So, boring book stuff aside, what's it doing here and how do we kill it dead?"

Xander smiled. "Oh, Faith, ever the voice of violence."

"Hey, somethin' crawls outta the ocean, burnin' foot prints into concrete? I'm a little concerned."

Andrew turned to Xander and said, "It's more like Godzilla, only shorter."

"Also not a guy in a lizard suit," Buffy added.

"Hey! Take that back!" demanded Andrew, the indignation radiating from his small body.

"You knew it was a lizard SUIT, didn't you?" asked Dawn, slightly concerned.

"Okay, one more time with the moving on-ness," Willow interrupted. "Giles, what are we supposed to do with this thing? Is it hunting, is it destroying? Is it looking for a Britta filter?"

Giles shrugged apologetically. "The most common reason for a Beast of Halgaroth to emerge from its fiery lair is to mate."

Everyone in the room groaned and Faith fell back on the mattress. "Are you kidding me? Hunt or screw? Are those the only settings on demons anymore?"

Reading straight from the book, Giles said, "Beast of Halgaroth emerge approximately once every twelve years in order to procure either humans or large mammals used to attract mates."

"Ooh, hunting AND mating," Buffy said. "The double gold standard."

Giles continued. "Those Beasts of Halgaroths residing under oceans usually capture large sea mammals such as whales or polar bears, but those Beasts inhabiting the magma under inland lakes are usually more dangerous as they must come ashore to hunt."

"Okay, so are we correct in assuming that it doesn't go all invisible or fly or anything like that? That the reason their foot prints just stopped was because it cooled off?" Robin asked.

"That would be accurate," Giles confirmed.

"Well, that's good, right?" Willow said encouragingly. "Because a fire-dwelling water demon that could fly would be waaay too many elements."

"Wait," said Xander. "We're forgetting Faith's excellent question. How do we KILL it?"

"Well, that remains to be seen," Giles replied. "I'm very sorry to inform you that there is no known method of actually KILLING a Beast of Halgaroth."

Again everyone in the room erupted at the same time. "What!"

Giles looked down at the book again and shook his head. "This says that, as of 1872, there were still no known methods of destroying one of these things."

"Well, 1872 was a long time ago," said Dawn. "What if someone figured it out in the last... hundred and twenty-one years?"

Xander looked impressed. "She said, doing the math quickly!"

"It's completely possible, but it's not very plausible. Documentation on these Beasts goes back to a few decades before Christ. So we're looking at a window of two-thousand years where no one's been able to defeat one of these things."

Buffy laughed. "Hey, the Slayer line was intact for like, fifty-thousand years, and we broke that! I don't see why we can't figure THIS out."

"The enthusiastic and punctual girl has a point," agreed Xander. "We're kinda like, AWESOME."

"Yeah," said Faith with a grin. "We're the masters of kick-assiness. We'll figure it out."

"And on the plus side," smiled Dawn, "no history means no research!"

"Excellent point, Dawny," said Xander.

"Okay, so I guess we all know our jobs, then?" asked Buffy. Everyone answered with shakes of the head and muttered "no"s. "Right on! Okay, let's get to it!" She stood and everyone else followed, though Giles protested.

"Wait, everyone! What are we doing?" Giles asked, looking to Buffy.

"Breakfast," answered Buffy. "Duh. And then we'll split up. Andrew, Robin, take whatever half of A Squad you want, fill 'em in, and scout out the west side. Take a look at the more deserted areas like the warehouse district. Something that big probably knows it'll be seen; it'll want to stay low pro. Faith and I will take the other half of A Squad and scope out the docks and work our way south. Xander, you take all of B Squad and cover the east. You'll need the extra hands to cover the more populated area. Willow, you see if you can work out a locater spell on this thing- I wanna know if there are more of them surfacing any time soon. Giles, you take the day off since you won the bet."

Giles smiled happily, but Robin groaned. "Why does Andrew have to come with me?" he asked, looking not at Buffy but over at Xander.

"Uh, I have to take all of B Squad," Xander retorted. "Also known as Hyper Squad and affectionately Bitchy Squad."

"Hey! What am I supposed to do?" Dawn said as everyone began to move towards the door. "I didn't get a job."

Everyone waited for Buffy to speak. "Um. Dawn, you stay here with Giles and - "

"And what? Take the day off? I have LEGS. I can keep up with any scouting party. And I have ARMS. So I can FIGHT stuff. Moreover, I have EYES, so I can, like, you know, LOOK for this thing. So I'm going."

"Dawn- "

"I'm not in the mood to fight, Buffy. Either put me on a team, or I'll pick one."

Buffy, who had been in a rather optimistic mood until now, sighed as she looked at her annoyed and determined sister. "Fine. Go with Xander, help keep B Squad in line. Happy?"

"Not lately. But it'll do for now."

There was a horrible moment of awkward silence before Willow sneaked behind Buffy and opened the door to let everyone else escape. "Okay, well, I'm gonna go work on that spell, then."

Robin slid from one side of the room to the other, maneuvering carefully around Dawn. "And I'm going to make sure I get first dibs on A Squad. Andrew?"

Everyone left the room, and Faith clasped Buffy's shoulder as she passed. Dawn tried to follow, but Buffy put her hand up to stop her. "Hey, what is going on with you?" she asked sincerely.

"Oh? Now you ask? Now it's interesting? Now you have time?"

"Dawn - "

"Let me go, Buffy. I've got to catch up with Xander."

"Xander will wait for you," Buffy insisted. "I know things have been strained between us for a few weeks now - "

"Weeks? Buffy, we haven't been all right since I was eight."

"You were very annoying when you were eight," Buffy countered.

"Thanks."

"I'm just saying, you were a little kid- I was still a kid when you were eight! And I know it's been longer than a few weeks, but I don't like admitting it. You and I haven't been okay since before mom died. I get that. But how long are you going to act like this?"

"Like WHAT?" Dawn demanded.

"Like I don't LOVE you?"

Giles looked away but knew leaving was out of the question.

Dawn was silent, and Buffy waited. "Do you think I don't love you? Just because life is hard and we get sidetracked with demons and Hell Mouths? Because this IS life. I'm sorry I can't be there for you when you need me, but don't think that I don't SEE you."

Dawn shrugged Buffy's hand off her shoulder and left without further argument.

Buffy let her slam the door behind her and turned to sit on the edge of Giles' bed. "I was having such a good morning. I was on time. My jaw isn't broken. I guessed the right demon." She threw he hands up and leaned over to rest on her knees. "I've got pouty face," she grumbled.

Giles sighed and pulled out the chair Xander had been sitting in. "Buffy, I think you need to accept that perhaps... You are not going to be the one to mend this rift. No matter your best efforts, Dawn seems to need to hate you right now."

"You're not helping."

"I don't think there IS any helping the situation. I think Dawn needs to work some things out on her own."

"So what should I do? Leave her alone? Ignore her more than she already thinks I do?"

"No. I think you need to let her decide. Go her own way. She wants to be part of the team, more now than ever before. Her family is fragmented, her home as she knew it is gone. She's excluded from the other girls because she has no powers. And... You have to admit, you have been rather distant of late."

"Hey," she said, trying to keep the defensiveness from creeping too far into her voice. "It was kinda a rough year, okay?"

"They all have been," Giles reminded her gently.

"Yeah. But this was different. For one thing, we've lost a lot of people, mostly young girls Dawn's age- and I'm not keen on losing anymore, ESPECIALLY Dawn. Meanwhile, my family is a little fragmented too, by default. My own sister kicked me out of our house. Also, I got stabbed- extra hard."

"And then there's Spike," he said with a touch of weariness reminiscent of his speech to her in the graveyard where he tried to convince her what a liability the vampire was.

Buffy's stomach fluttered. "Oh. I thought we could just keep ignoring that part for a little while longer," she said with a weak smile.

"Buffy, you were in very rare form this morning. As you said, you presented us the most likely suspect in this case. And it's been quite a while since I've seen you take charge and give orders like you did today. I'd like to think that you've- and pardon me for using such pedestrian terms- Snapped out of it."

"Giles." Buffy looked away. "Please don't ask me to snap out of losing Spike. I don't know... What we were to each other, exactly. But my heart... hurts with him gone. It's thrown me, okay?" She looked up at him. "I haven't forgotten how important my job is. Just because I share it with twenty other girls now doesn't mean that I take it any less seriously. I've had some crappy days. But it's getting better."

Giles nodded. "Has Faith been ... helping you get back on track?" he asked.

Buffy's eyebrow twitched and she looked confused. "What does that mean, exactly?" Giles cleared his throat and took off his glasses. "Oh, God, you're cleaning your glasses. What is it?"

"I know you went to see Faith last night. The, uh, terrible pain woke me," he explained with a rub of his thigh. "What you spoke about, it's none of my business. But I've noticed you've been avoiding Xander and Willow more and more lately. And if you're talking Faith..."

"Giles. I get it. You're happy I'm getting back to my normal self. I'm happy too. I want to move on. But how I do it, how long it takes? I have to figure that out. On my own. Like Dawn." With that she stood and left the room.


	5. Chapter 5

Buffy breathed heavily with relief once she was outside and she hurried back to her room before he could follow to interrogate her more. Trying not to refer to her dreams or her difficulty sleeping had been difficult. She wanted to tell Giles everything, but something was keeping her from letting go. Faith was right; she was afraid of another overthrow. She couldn't bear losing everyone's trust again. And letting everyone know that she'd been having bizarre repetitive dreams guest starring Spike every time she so much as dozed off probably wouldn't inspire much confidence.

The only thing that gave her any hope at all was the odd new addition of the prophecy twist.

"Hey, B!" Buffy turned around as Faith left her room. "Hey, wait up." They stood outside Buffy's door and Faith leaned on the rail to light a cigarette. "So, Beasts of Halgorath, huh?"

"Yeah," she smiled.

"That's pretty sweet."

"And weird. I mean, you know, being a Slayer, prophecy dreams come with the gig. But this was definitely a new variation on the same old same."

"You got that right. So, what? You think Spike's like, talkin' to you from beyond?"

"I have no idea," Buffy admitted. "I would hope that if he's going to keep doing that, he'll stay as accurate and timely as he was last night."

"Well, whatever turns you on," Faith encouraged. "Sooo, I was thinkin', we should like, maybe keep a journal. Like a dream diary or something."

"Jeez, Faith. Into it much?" Buffy said with a smile.

Faith looked away and waved her off. "Aw, shit, Buff, it's just, you know... I ain't never been secret girl before. Not with you, anyway. And I guess if I'm supposed to be a good guy now, I should try to help."

"I appreciate it. Seriously. You were totally right, by the way. Just, uh, closing my eyes, sleeping. Letting it all happen. Instead of being scared or sad, something really great came out of it all. And maybe we'll figure out what this is all about."

Faith looked proud, but she ducked her head and looked out over the parking lot. "Yeah." She cleared her throat and hocked a wad of spit over the railing, making Buffy cringe. "Thanks fer the trust, B. It's weird, but it's nice."

Buffy smiled up at her. "You go get the girls," she said. "I'm gonna get some weapons. I'll meet you out back by the dumpsters."

"Ah. Good ol' home base."

As Buffy went into her room and Faith walked off in the other direction, Dawn stood at Xander's window and narrowed her eyes. She'd heard only a few sentences, and though she didn't quite understand all of it, she was sure she could put the pieces together.

..

..

Several hours later, the five girls of Buffy and Faith's group sat around on the curb brushing themselves off and wiping their faces on any piece of clothing that wasn't muddy.

"B squad, reporting for debriefing," Xander said wearily as he collapsed on to the stairs leading up to the second floor the Scooby gang occupied. He rested his dirty forehead against the railing. There was mud all over him, Dawn, and most of B squad. His ten girls took spots around him on the sidewalk and nearby steps. Dawn sat next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. They all looked about as amused as the present A squad.

Buffy and Faith didn't look all that much better. Most of Buffy's face was caked with dirt and there was a swath of slime across her chest. But Faith had caught the worst of it. Her hair was plastered to her head with mud and she was soaked to the bone. "Oh, my gosh! Faith!" Willow said as she came down the stairs. "Oh, no..." Dawn leaned over and Willow edged around her.

"It's okay," Faith shrugged. "So a damned Beast of Halgorath threw up on me. You know, whatever." She trailed off as she rummaged through her pockets. "Man... Hey, you!" she hollered at one of the younger girls. "Go up to my room and get me some cigarettes, would'ja? Mine are soaked." She flicked her room card at the confused-looking girl and turned to sit on the curb.

Willow stood over her. "Hey, hold still, okay?"

"Huh?"

Willow waved her hand over Faith and murmured "Fio tergio quod siccus." The mud and the muck covering Faith from head to toe disappeared, and though she was still a bit damp around the seams, she was perfectly clean.

"Oh, daaamn, girl! Those're some slick skills!"

Willow looked pleased. Xander cleared his throat. "Hey, what about me? I'm dirty and moist too." Everyone looked at him until he slouched and leaned his head back against the railing.

"Sorry we're late," Andrew called from halfway through the parking lot. "We had some trouble carrying that thing. He was really slippery."

Having not arrived until after the others had engaged the Beast, Andrew and Robin and their team were, for the most part, unscathed. Though they had fought the Beast, they had not been thrown up on or sprayed with anything. As a result, Buffy had given them the task of weighting down and disposing of the unconscious body and running interference with the public.

Giles came down the stairs followed by the girl Faith had demanded cigarettes from and their group was now complete. "All is well?" he asked Buffy.

"All is well. Robin?"

He nodded. "We're solid. The Beast is out with the tide. It was so damned heavy to begin with, it's not coming back."

Buffy turned back to Giles. "See. It's solid," she smiled. "Can we go shower now? Cuz, gross."

"Yes, of course. Willow didn't detect any others in the area."

"But if there's any more activity in the next few hours, the locater spell I set up will tell us," Willow assured.

"Okay. Awesome. Everybody clean up! We'll regroup back here in two hours. I want everyone who didn't go to the gym last night to go tonight. Everyone else will be going on a run with me and Xander. Dress accordingly."

"I don't even have the strength to protest," Xander mumbled as everyone else headed for the stairs he was sitting on. Dawn gave him a hand up and the groups merged and disappeared into their rooms.

Buffy stretched and her back popped in several places. "Stupid spine," she grumbled. Giles had come to stand near her and he looked like he wanted to say something. "Okay, whatever it is, hit me. Cuz once I get upstairs, I'm gonna sit in that shower for an hour and forty-five minutes," she promised.

"Actually, I'd like to talk to Faith for a moment. If you don't mind?"

Buffy frowned and looked from Giles to Faith. "No. I don't mind. Should I mind?" Giles said nothing and Faith looked up at Giles, her eyes full of suspicion. "You know what? Never mind. Knock yourself out." She stormed up the stairs two at a time and disappeared into her room.

Giles sat down next to Faith on the curb, but she started to snicker. "What? Are we gonna rap?" she asked sarcastically.

"I need to be serious for a moment, Faith."

She looked him in the eye and pulled a cigarette out of the pack, then offered it to Giles. He stared at it a moment, and when she went to rescind her offer, he plucked one from the foil. Wordlessly but with a smile Faith lit it for him, then lit her own. "All right, G. Hit me."

Giles exhaled a long breath. "I need to know... If Buffy is all right."

Faith looked back at him. "You gotta be kiddin'. You're askin' me? How does that make sense? She doesn't talk to me."

"Well, I know that's not true," he said simply. "I know you talked last night, at least. About what, I don't know. And it's not my business," he repeated to her as he had earlier to Buffy. "But it is my business to make sure that Buffy- and you- and all the girls- are on the right track. That everyone is all right."

"That's a term I'd have to use loosely, even now we're outta Sunnydale."

"You know what I mean, Faith."

"Yeah, I dig it. Well. Damn. I think she's all right. 'Course you're askin' the crazy Slayer. Probably better you hit up Colleen or somebody with her head on right."

"I know exactly who I'm talking to."

"That so? Well," she exhaled. "Ain't that swell? You wanna tell me? Cuz I'm not too sure sometimes."

"Don't play crazy, Faith. It's old hat on you. Just be straight with me."

Faith laughed him off, but his quiet and direct manner had thrown her. She was much better at defending herself from people who were yelling at her. "Right, look, all I know is, she was feelin' kinda low for a while. Now she ain't."

"And what did you talk about last night?"

"Hey, you said that wasn't any of your business."

"I did. But it's up to you if you want to tell me. I'm still going to ask."

"Well, I don't gotta answer. You wanna know so bad, you go ask her yourself."

"Faith, you understand, of course, the strain trauma and battle can have on a person."

"You know it, G."

"And you know Buffy has had more than her fair share of it, even for a Slayer."

"Look, you don't gotta tell me twice. What half I didn't fight against beside her I caused. But me an' her, we're cool now."

"Oh? Is that so?"

"Yeah. WHY?"

"I just find it interesting that after every horrible thing you've done to Buffy, she would choose to confide in you over her friends."

The words hung in the air like smoke from their cigarettes. Faith looked indignant and sorely tempted to punch Giles in the face. She whipped her cigarette out into the parking lot and stood up. "Thanks a lot, Giles. I really appreciate these little talks of ours. Only reason you come to me is cuz she's not givin' anything up. Which means she cut you out too, not just Wil and Harris. That's gotta sting, huh? Buffy talkin' t'me. Not you. Better get used to it. Cuz with this new attitude of yours, I don't think she'll be sharing anything important with you anytime soon." Faith pounded back up the stairs, but stopped mid-way. "You better get used to havin' another Slayer around. Because now we all got each other? We're needin' the likes of you less 'n' less."


	6. Chapter 6

When Buffy arrived back at her room, Dawn was already in the shower and there was steam billowing from the doorway. Between sleeping off some heavy liquor for a mere three hours and beating up a Beast of Halgorath, having to wait for the shower was a bit of an injustice. But considering how cranky Dawn had been lately, hurrying her to finish showering seemed a unnecessary risk.

Instead Buffy turned on the television to catch the last half of the seven o'clock news. Much like back in Sunnydale, there was rarely any mention of anything out of the ordinary. But the code was the same. A gas leak caused the latest explosion. A sink hole was due to a broken water main. The recent attacks were proved to be a feral pack of dogs who had recently migrated from the countryside. She wondered if all the mayors of the Hell Mouths got together every few month to discuss new code words for mystical disasters. Maybe there were committees, she thought.

The local news might have mentioned the Beast of Halgorath in its misleading code, but she wasn't quite sure. It was either mixed into the blurb about construction closing the highway which passed along the shipyards, or the weather report which included warnings of high methane concentrations causing horrible smells and odd noises along the marina. Either way, tourism would hopefully be down for the next few days. The news turned to commercials and Buffy heard the shower squeak off.

Dawn emerged moments later wrapped in towels, tendrils of wet hair dripping from under her turban. "Feel better?"

"Yes," she answered.

"I'm sorry you got slimy. But you fought really well," she added. "You did this great move with a backwards kick at the end? That was pretty awesome. Your balance has improved."

"Thanks." Dawn was rummaging through their sparsely stocked closet. "Do you know where my blue tank top is?"

"No. Did you leave it in one of the other girls' rooms?" Dawn shrugged but didn't answer. "Well, you can wear whatever of mine, if you want." When she again did not reply, Buffy clicked off the television and locked herself in the bathroom.

..

..

..

Buffy's boot connected with what she supposed was the wrist of the Beast of Halgorath. She wasn't quite clear on the anatomy of the thing, only that it was way too far inland for something with gills.

She and Faith originally had hung back a bit, and had instructed Xander and Dawn to do the same. Every demon or monster they had faced was used as a training exercise in teamwork. It wasn't unless the situation was completely out of control that the rest of them got involved. But when she, Faith and their girls came upon Xander and B squad wailing eleven strong on the thing with not much more in the area of results than annoying, Buffy gave it another five minutes before she signaled her team to jump into the fray. Several of Xander's team limped aside to regroup and wipe the mud out of their eyes. Faith noticed a few pedestrians trapped in the doorway to a bait and tackle shop and booked it across the street to usher them to safety. Buffy took a high point on top of a city maintenance truck to observe the girls' fighting style.

Unfortunately moments later the beast belched an ungodly amount of slime and mud, silt and lake water all over the majority of the girls. Their numbers drastically cut, Buffy jumped in to removed the most incapacitated girls from the line of fire. Faith returned, as fearsome as ever, and leaped on to the beast's back. Kennedy, who had somehow managed to retain her eyesight despite being drenched in copious amounts of questionable fluids, took left flank while Xander came at it from its right. Buffy barreled straight down the middle to meet it head on, and there she began kicking.

It looked like a cross between a bull frog and a stegosaurus, bit it had the tempter of a grizzly bear. And considering that they seemed to only come out from under the earth every dozen years or so, she imagined it would probably be a bit hungry. "Good job," she thought to herself, her fists and feet flying, "I just threw twenty five people at a monster who hasn't eaten or screwed in twelve years. This should end well." Suddenly Faith lost her grip as the Beast began to exude a runny mucous from its pores. She hit the ground hard, her fall only broken by the large puddle of slime already pooling around a manhole.

The sound of their metal weaponry connecting with its odd armour-like scales made a horrible noise. Somewhere between a clank and a scrape, it was like a loose muffler dragging on asphalt. They whirl-winded around the beast, fatigued fighters retreating so revived Slayers could tag team themselves back into the fray.

There was a blur of black leather as Spike vaulted off an electrical box and replaced Faith on the beast's back. He was a bit better equipped than Faith had been, and he sank a throwing axe into on the the gill folds nearest it neck- Or what Buffy supposed was the neck. It was hard to tell, considering it looked so very frog-like. This gave him a bit of a hand hold and made bucking Spike off nearly impossible. Spike now had access to the beast's eyes, and he bravely sank a fist into one of the greenish brown globs. A terrible squeal came from the beast's wide and gooey mouth. "Gonna take our sight away? Well we can DO- THE- SAME!" And he plunged his other fist into the other eye with a fury. But his hands were now slippery with eyeball juice and he found it impossible to hang out. So instead of being flung off, he pushed and slid down the creatures back to land on his feet.

While Spike backed up to shake the disgusting wads of blood and tissue from his hands, Faith redoubled her efforts and, picking up a fallen shirt spear, charged at the thing like a linebacker. The spear sank satisfyingly into the soft underbelly of the beast, and Faith yanked it to the right, then the left, and guts began to ooze out from the hole. It emitted another blood-curdling scream from its gurgling throat and staggered backwards.

As Robin, Andrew, and their ungooified team of girls stayed behind to remove the beast back to the waterfront, everyone who had fought staggered back down the main street, oblivious to the stares and murmurs of onlookers.

"I guess we figured out why no one's ever killed one of these beasts before," Dawn said.

"Yeah," grinned Clair. "No one ever went at it with seventeen slayers and a vampire with no gag reflex."

"Well, once you see the stuff I have, plunging your fists into a ten foot tall frog's eyes isn't so bad. It kinda feels like Jell-o," he observed, shaking another lob of something gelatinous from his sleeve. He turned to Buffy and smiled at the grossness of it. "Hey, m'sorry I couldn't get here sooner. Was trynna wait out the sun," he explained as he pointed up to the sky. Buffy only smiled and shook her head. "Yeah, you say it's all right, but until Summer's over, you're not gonna get much use outta me before six."

"All the better to not have to see you with," Xander said from behind them.

Buffy turned around before Spike could say anything. "Xander! How about a thank you instead of snipe? Because in case you didn't notice? Spike was just buried up to his elbows in Halgorath goop." Spike stuck his tongue out at Xander and turned around with a smile.

"Yeah, Xander, you have to admit, that was pretty cool," Dawn agreed.

"I have to admit no such thing," he grumbled. "B squad and I wore it out for you guys."

"Uh-huh. A half an hour, and you all didn't make much of a dent," Spike said.

"Hey," Xander retorted, coming to the defense of his girls, "we made a huge dent in its slime spewing reserves."

Faith came up from behind and wiped her hand on Xander's shoulder. "Yeah, that's why I'm covered in what I think is chum and algae. Because you wiped it out of slime. Right," she laughed.

"Obviously he's jealous of Spike's obscene amounts of manly bravery," Buffy joked to Faith, and Spike looked at her with a grin of amusement at Xander's expense.

"Oh, COME ON!" Xander begged. "You are KILLING me softly with this SONG!" he insisted. "I'm not jealous! I'm ... Vehemently opposed to showering ANYone with too much praise. It's bad for the ego."

"Uh huh," said Dawn, linking a wet arm into Xander's wetter one. "That's why you kept pointing out that you were the first ones to find it, you kept it at bay for half an hour, you cleared the area of civilians - "

"You missed two, by the way," Faith interjected.

"And why little Hiroshima bombs explode in your eyes when anyone mentions that Spike pretty much saved the day," Dawn concluded.

"Hey, hey," Spike protested, falling back a step to end up shoulder to shoulder with Dawn. "That's not the case. The only reason I even tried what I did was cuz Xander said that bit about eyesight. It didn't even occur t'me until then."

"Seriously, Spike, I don't need you trying to make me look good."

"Well, you better take what you can get, cuz you're doin' a lousy job of it yerself."

Buffy tried to cover a snigger but Xander heard her anyway. "Thanks, Buff. 'Preciate that."

"Oh, Xander, stop it already. Everyone here kicked ass. Getting bent about who did what doesn't help anything. There are thirty of us and we're on a Hell Mouth. Everybody's gonna get the chance to be hero for a day," she sighed.

Spike turned to Xander very quickly with an admonishing look. "I NEVER said I was a hero," he reminded. Xander simply rolled his eyes but sighed in defeat.

They traveled on a ways then without much conversation in the front of the group, listening instead to the girls in the back comparing notes about the battle and critiquing their own and others' performances without being led to do so by Buffy or Faith. The girls were becoming more self reliant and more comfortable with bizarre things like the idea of magma beasts and walking home along main street during the dinner rush while covered in sea monster vomit. Spike sided back up to Buffy and nodded behind him.

"They're startin' t'sound like you. 'Stead of patting themselves on the back, they're getting critical of themselves. That's good." Buffy smiled her thanks. "You should be proud, Buffy. You brought 'em pretty far. They're gonna be all right. Dawn's a bit antsy, though," he added after a moment's pause.

"Huh?" Buffy forgot herself, and as she turned to question Spike, she already felt the void beside her as he disappeared into thin air.


End file.
